Boating Accidents in Oregon

Oregon is host to diverse, beautiful and sometimes dangerous waters that stretch from the crest of the Cascades to the deserts of eastern Oregon, the lush valleys of western Oregon and the coastal region. Boaters should make sure their skill and equipment is adequate for the waters they enter. While accidents happen for a variety of reasons, 85-90% or more of fatalities could be prevented if the victims wore life jackets. The statistics below illustrate this point very well.

It's also important to note that the Marine Board is Oregon's boating agency, responsible for access, law enforcement and education for all boats. The Marine Board tracks all boating related fatalities, motorized and manually powered.

Following is a summary listing of fatal boating accidents from 1996 to date.

Marine Board Boating Accident Reports are, by statute, confidential and not open to public or media review. Please note: recreational boating statistics do not include those deaths which happen across state lines, are commercial in nature (charter, guide, industrial, etc) or occur after a person has purposefully left the vessel (to swim, etc). The Marine Board has adopted Federal law for Accident Reporting as it pertains to documenting accident and fatality statistics.

Nationwide Accident and Fatality Statistics

The U.S. Coast Guard has released a searchable database for nationwide accident and fatality statistics. The data represents information submitted from the 56 reporting jurisdictions - 50 states, the District of Columbia (DC) and the territories of Guam (GU), American Samoa (AS), Northern Mariana Islands (MP), Puerto Rico (PR) and the Virgin Islands (VI).

* It is estimated that only 10 to 15 percent of reportable accidents are actually reported. **The Oregon Fatality Rate is based on 100,000 registered motorboats and the U.S. Fatality Rate is based on U.S. Coast Guard statistics using a rate of 100,000 boats. *** These statistics do not reflect fatalities involving guided or commercial fishing trips.

* Victim was parasailing at time of accident. ** These statistics do not reflect four fatalities involving people on guided fishing trips. These are technically considered "commercial" activities but because they involve recreational pursuit, we list them here.